Do I need to ditch the 27-inch wheels?
 

I am plotting a series of upgrades/changes to a Univega I bought today with 27 inch wheels. I have researched the options of converting from 27 inch to 700c, but am wondering -- is there any compelling reason to make the switch?

If I'm happy with the gearing -- the hubs -- the rims -- and my tire choices (I need new tires), is there any real reason I need to change?

If you ask me the question is what type of riding you foresee doing on the bike.

Commuting, beater type of bike, riding over questionable road surfaces Id probably keep the original wheelset.. If ya wanna go fast, well 700sX23 no doubt.

Summer commuting -- and I need bigger tires because of lousy road surfaces. This will not be my "go fast" bike.*


* Please note -- I have a "go fast" bike but currently lack a *go fast* engine.

If you want some nice big comfy tires for your 27 inch rims, try the Michelin World Tours. They are close to a 3-speed tire. Perfect, with some Tuffies, for any commute. Cheap, too.

If you are happy with everything, then there is absolutely no reason to change anything.

27 x 1 1/4" Serfas Seca tires ride pretty nice, I ride them all the time on a couple of my older bikes. Never had a flat with them yet, even on the MS150 when people were getting flats all around me. With that said.... There's no real need to change to 700's, unless you just want new wheels, or damage one beyond help. I ride mostly urban area's with pretty bad roads. 1 1/4 on 27's, and 25's on 700's keep the tooth rattling to a minimum. Given your brake size, you might could run 28's.,,,,BD

Thanks for recommendation -- I like the looks, too, for a retro bike...The Serfas Seca tires look like good ones as well.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/630.html

I've been riding Wal Mart Bell Streetster tires for a couple of years on two of my 27" wheel bikes. So far they are showing very little wear and give a comfy ride with good traction. A plus is I don't have to mail order them. IIRC they are around $14 each.

Panaracer Pasela tour guard in 27 1/4 will give a nice ride. I know it does on my Varsity and the Continental with the allow wheels although those tires are 27 1/8

I've used them. Not much to speak of, IMHO, unless you're running straight-wall rims and can't mount tires for 80+ PSI use on them. Rode spongy, and although they feel as if they have good traction due to their low pressure, I've found them quite easy to slip over gravel surfaces or slick turns.

$14 is far too much for them too - they used to charge $8 or so before W/M got the smart idea of getting them with kevlar beads to roll them up and save on shelf space. Ten dollar tire, max, IMHO.

-Kurt

As much as I like Harris, they can be really expensive for the perishables. I've spent a ton of money there, but not on tires. The World Tours are nice, but not that nice. They are a $14 tire.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...ls.php?id=7598

+1 I also like IRC Road Duro II (the II indicates kevlar belted), but they're a bit harder to find.

Right on. Nothing wrong with 27", I have no trouble finding good tires.

Yep, I noticed that after I found the Harris link. I usually get my tires at biketiresdirect; they're in Oregon and usually get them shipped up to Seattle in a day.

Keep the 27" and one day they will be back in fashion again. Wheels started out 28' (700 cm) back when the safety bicycle first took on (after the penny-farthing). Then, it went to 26" tires, then to 27" tires. Now, we are back to 28" (700 cm).

It's the circle of life, Baby. If you live long enough, you will see it all twice at least.

+1

As other posts attest to: there's currently more tire selection with 700C than with 27", but it's not hard to find good tires for 27" if you shop around, unless you need state-of-the-art racing-type clinchers. For touring and general cycling, I think there's little to be gained by getting new rims/wheels, unless there's something wrong with the ones you have, and one or both needs to be replaced anyway.

Brakes are another thing to consider: if your current brake shoes can be dropped 4-5 mm, then 700C will not be a problem; otherwise, you're into getting new brake calipers too, to switch sizes.

Continental Ultra Gatorskin - I just bought a set in 27-1/4. I have not ridden on them yet, but they look really nice!

http://online.qbp.com/6SPsvm45/prodl/TR9231.jpg

One for the IRC Roadwinner Duro II's (provided you have a sharp bead seat - they'll give trouble on anything else):

http://www.cyclepath.ca/products/usr...ner-duro-2.jpg

-Kurt

I've been running around on 27" wheels for years now and see no reason I would switch to 700c. In fact, consider that converting your wheel size may make you have to switch over your brake calipers as well - there is a slight extra reach required to grab the rim.

I commute, haul groceries and ride everywhere on a set of Continental Ultrasport 27 x 1 1/8 - I even took them off-road on a muddy dirt trail (not at high speed naturally) and they worked just fine other than some wheel spinning due to the slicks.

The point is - 27" wheels are what everyone was using to do everything before 26" mountain bikes came along. They work quite well for most purposes. If weight is a concern you can get 27" aluminum rims.

I just put a new set of them on a bike. The old ones still had some miles left in them so I put them on a SS errand bike with an old no-hook front rim. No trouble in the first 25 miles or so; I have them inflated to maybe 65-70 psi. Have you had them blow off the rim?

70 PSI should be fine. I had one of them (a 28x700c example) blow off from a bulged-bead rim (while parked), and also once had it come off the bead without an explosion on the first ride. Works fine on hooked bead Mavic GP-4's though. Jon (Cuda2k) has had a similar set of problems with his 27" set.

-Kurt

I ran some 27 inch wheels with 630:25 Panaracer tri-sports for 4000 km (fixed) and loved them... they got replaced with some more period correct wheels and tyres (700:25;s) on high flange hubs.

I just gave the old wheels and tyres to a friend who was building up a fixed gear on an old Apollo frame that needs 27's, the Suzue hubs are to die for and the Ukai hubs make for a really strong and fast rolling wheel and his initial report was that he loves these wheels.

The only issue with 27 inch / 630 wheels is the availability of rubber.

Gatorskin or Panaracer would be a sound upgrade. Have fun. What rims are you using? The Rigida and Araya made some pretty nice rims in the 27 format. Mavic Modules are the best if you can find them.

+1, I run them on my Atala. Pricey, though.
Top